(Selected by Choice magazine as an Outstanding Academic Title) Among his many accomplishments, Benjamin Franklin was the cofounder of Pennsylvania Hospital, the first major civilian hospital and medical school in the American colonies. He studied the efficacy of smallpox inoculation and investigated the causes of the common cold, while his inventions included bifocal lenses and a "long arm" that extended the user's reach, making life easier for the aged and afflicted. In this book, Stanley Finger uncovers the instrumental role that Franklin played in the development of the healing arts in both America and Europe.

"Eminent neuroscientist and medical historian Stanley Finger admirably lays out Franklin's association with the medical advances of his time.... As Finger conducts this fascinating tour of medical history, he enlivens the narrative with information that is often useful and always interesting."—American Scientist